Independent Tax Service

What Independent Tax Service does

Independent Tax Service, Inc. is a privately held, independently owned tax preparation firm headquartered at One Mill Street, #271 in Burlington, Vermont, in operation since 1986. The firm serves individual taxpayers in the Burlington, VT area and surrounding New England market, with explicit expertise in Vermont-specific tax matters such as the state's refundable veteran tax credit for residents with AGI ≤ $25,000 and local property tax bill handling. Service delivery is built around three named preparers (Martha, Linda, and Vicki) who conduct both in-person office appointments and remote Zoom video appointments on an appointment-based model, supplemented by a secure online document upload portal on the firm's website.

The business operates on a strictly seasonal cadence: during tax season (January 1 through April 15) the office is open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm, while the off-season (April 16 through December 31) operates by appointment only. Pricing is individualized based on return complexity, with a 10% discount offered to clients who submit the majority of their tax documents by February 15th. The firm does not disclose specific price points, has no institutional investors, no parent company, no partnerships, and no M&A activity on record. As of January 2026 the firm has publicly closed intake to new clients through April 15, 2026, signaling that current demand exceeds capacity rather than that the firm is pursuing growth.

The technology stack is intentionally lightweight: Zoom for client meetings, a website-hosted secure document upload module for electronic submissions, and a physical letter drop slot for after-hours drop-offs. There is no mobile application, no API surface, no proprietary software, no disclosed AI/ML capability, and no third-party integrations beyond standard tax filing and banking rails implied by refund processing. The competitive position rests on local reputation, named-preparer relationships, and Vermont-specific tax knowledge rather than on technology differentiation or scale.

Name

Independent Tax Service

Legal name

Independent Tax Service, Inc.

Website

https://independenttaxvt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Independent Tax Service is a privately held Burlington, Vermont tax preparation firm founded in 1986 that serves individual taxpayers in the New England market through three named preparers using in-person, Zoom, and secure upload delivery during a seasonal Jan 1 to April 15 cadence.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tax Preparation Services

NAICS

Tax Preparation Services (541213), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Business Services (7380)

akta.pro primary industry

Tax Advisory & Compliance (BPAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tax & Financial Document Preparation Organization (Non-Advisory) (HSAFAEAG)

Keywords

• Tax preparation services
• Individual tax filing
• Vermont tax credits
• Remote tax appointments
• Secure document upload

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tax Preparation Services: One-time fee for professional tax return preparation services. Pricing appears individualized based on return complexity. Early submission discount of 10% available for documents received by February 15th.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Professional tax return preparation services for individual taxpayers and families in the Burlington, Vermont area, including electronic filing, refund processing, and year-round tax advice. Services are delivered by named preparers (Martha, Linda, Vicki) through in-person office visits, Zoom video appointments, or contactless document upload, with one-time individualized fees per return.

Product overview

Independent Tax Service offers a single, unified tax preparation service for individual taxpayers. Their service portfolio centers on core tax return preparation with supporting modules including secure electronic document upload and virtual Zoom-based appointments. The company serves the Burlington, Vermont area, providing personalized tax preparation with named preparers and a seasonal service model (January through mid-April, with off-season appointments available).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tax Preparation Services Professional tax return preparation services for individuals and families in the Burlington, Vermont area, including electronic filing, refund processing, and year-round tax advice. The offering covers W-2 income, tips, overtime pay, property tax matters, and Vermont-specific credits such as the refundable veteran credit for residents with AGI ≤ $25,000. Service is delivered by named preparers (Martha, Linda, Vicki) via scheduled in-office, Zoom, or contactless document-upload engagements, with documents required one week before the appointment.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Tax LLP: Big 4 tax practice serving both individual and corporate clients. Comparable as a professional tax preparation provider, though operating at much higher complexity and scale than Independent Tax Service.
• EY (Ernst & Young) Tax Practice: Big 4 tax and advisory practice with a personal tax services component. Comparable as a tax preparation provider at the higher end of complexity, sharing the broader individual tax preparation category with Independent Tax Service.
• PwC Tax Practice: Big 4 tax practice with individual and family wealth tax services. Comparable in the broad tax preparation category, though focused on high-net-worth filers rather than the W-2 and property-owner base served by Independent Tax Service.
• KPMG US: Big 4 accounting firm with a large personal financial planning and individual tax practice. Comparable as a credentialed tax preparation provider, though serving higher-income and more complex individual clients than Independent Tax Service.
• Intuit TurboTax: Dominant DIY individual tax preparation software, including a 'Live' tier that connects users to credentialed preparers. Represents the principal substitute for Independent Tax Service's offering, especially for clients with relatively straightforward returns.

Direct peers

• Liberty Tax Service: Franchised individual tax preparation chain with seasonal storefronts. Operates in the same individual tax preparation category as Independent Tax Service, including handling of complex returns for W-2 wage earners and property owners.
• 1040.com: Online individual tax preparation platform with assisted filing options. Overlaps with Independent Tax Service's customer base of individual taxpayers and competes on price and convenience.
• TaxAct: Online and assisted individual tax preparation service. Competes directly with Independent Tax Service for individual filers, including through an expert-assisted product that mirrors the in-person preparation model.
• H&R Block: Largest US retail tax preparation franchise offering individual income tax preparation through both in-office and online channels. Directly comparable to Independent Tax Service in core offering and customer segment, though at vastly larger scale.
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service: National tax preparation franchise serving individual taxpayers in retail and online channels. Directly comparable product offering and target customer base to Independent Tax Service, including handling of complex individual returns such as tips, overtime, and credits.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Independent Tax Service